Deputies charge man after rifle shots fired

Near Madison County practice field

Posted: Thursday, August 06, 2009

By Wayne Ford

DANIELSVILLE - Madison County sheriff's deputies charged a man with reckless conduct late last week for allegedly shooting an assault rifle that sent bullets whizzing over a field near Madison County Middle School, where students were practicing football.

A parent watching the practice heard the shots and warned the coach, who told all the players to leave the field, according to a sheriff's report. Deputies arrived and arrested Joshua Curtis Simmons, 27, charging him with reckless conduct.

Simmons told a deputy that he knew the school was nearby but wasn't shooting toward the building, according to a sheriff's report.

The parent, Larry Martin, was sitting in his pickup on a hill that separates the football field from a row of chicken houses when he heard the gunfire.

"A gunshot has never really scared me, but when I heard bullets zinging over the top of my head, it was time to be worried," Martin said. "It sounded like they were coming through the window of my truck. That's how close it sounded."

After warning the coach, Martin got in his pickup and drove to the chicken houses.

"The boy was coming across the field with the gun, so I pretty much confronted him. I said, 'Did you realize there's a school over the top of that hill and there's about 50 kids down there practicing football?'

"I told him, 'You don't know how lucky you are that you didn't hit nobody.' I mean I was nice to him, but the more I thought about it, the madder I got. I told him, 'You wouldn't have had to worry about no judge or jury if you hit my young'un.' "

School officials told deputies they wanted to press charges.

"Reckless conduct will be mainly a slap on the wrist," Martin said, "but maybe it'll make him think. It was an innocent mistake on his part. He probably didn't know no better."